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Completed TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)
The proposed research will improve upon a novel trajectory optimization algorithm called Multiple-Shooting Differential Dynamic Programming and apply it to solve specific problems in cislunar space. This algorithm has been chosen due to its accuracy, radius of convergence, and ability to account for perturbations in spaceflight. The improvements to this algorithm aim to increase computational efficiency and robustness by adding parallelism and investigating alternative optimization solvers for the inner and outer loop portions of the algorithm. Improved dynamics and models will be developed, along with an investigation to determine the most effective coordinate system to use. The MDDP algorithm will then be used to solve specific problems in cislunar space, chosen for their relevancy in the upcoming years. Applications to autonomous onboard control will also be explored. The proposed research will develop a powerful optimization tool that mitigates the drawbacks of other commonly used optimization methods. Additionally, the research will determine solutions to problems that can be used to develop cislunar space and will be used to extend NASA's reach to the Moon and beyond.
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